Elgin police celebrate retiring commander

Twenty years on the Elgin police force have taught him three things, Cmdr. Glenn Theriault said - care for your family, care for each other and care for your community.

Theriault, 42, starts a new job as police chief in Sycamore Monday. The police department held his retirement ceremony Tuesday at The Centre of Elgin, where nine new officers also were sworn in and three were promoted.

"This job can give you so much but can also take a lot out of you," he said, later adding, "Just do your best - give the citizens what they pay for everyday."

Hired in 1995, Theriault served in the patrol and juvenile investigations divisions, and the Resident Officer Program of Elgin, where officers live in the neighborhoods they police.

He was promoted to sergeant in 2003, lieutenant in 2008 and commander in 2012, and spearheaded the department's adjudications program, Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said.

Theriault had influence over a variety of aspects of the police department, Swoboda said. "If he didn't change it - he cleaned it. He did something with it," he said.

The ceremony, held in a packed Heritage Ballroom, also included Lt. Colin Fleury's promotion to the rank of commander.

Elgin has the greatest police department in Illinois, said Fleury, who was hired in 1999 and served in patrol, gang and traffic divisions, and as a member of the tactical response team. "It is important for our city to know that we are here for you," he said.

Sgt. Adam Schuessler was promoted to lieutenant, and Officer David Lesko was promoted to sergeant.

"You are being promoted here today because of the way you think," Swoboda said. "We trust your judgment."

The new hires are Brad Duffy, Nicholas Klinke, Ricardo Hernandez, Jessica Duehning, Jason Highland, Neal Fuchs, Paul Dublinski, Shawn Sproles and Michael Fuller. They bring the department back to its customary 180 officers.

Swoboda thanked the patrol division for taking the brunt of the multiple vacancies, which caused officers to work more overtime than usual.

He also asked those in attendance to remember two New York City police officers assassinated Dec. 20 by a gunman who then killed himself. He and other Elgin officers talked in their speeches about the media's portrayal of police and alluded to recent protests against police actions across the country.

"There is so much negativity about police departments and police officers," Elgin Deputy Police Chief Bill Wolf said.

In the end, it's about working together and accepting both feedback and questioning from the community, Swoboda said. "We can't be successful without the support of the community."